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20 Years Ago Today, Makind Won The WWF Championship, And Turned The Monday Night War

Posted By: Thomas Lowson on Jan 04, 2019

Today, January 4, 2019, marks 20 years since one of the most monumental title changes in WWE history.

When Mick Foley met The Rock for the Corporate Champion's WWF Title on RAW, few could've expected what would go down.

One person who did know exactly what would go down, was Tony Schiavone.

Speaking on the live edition of WCW Monday Nitro that same night, Schiavone revealed the results of the pre-taped RAW (which had been recorded on December 29, 1998), smugly spoiling the result that Mankind was to beat The Rock, saying:

"That's gonna put some butts in the seats".

Upset, Foley called Schiavone, whom he had befriended when he wrestled in WCW as Cactus Jack, though the commentator defended himself, saying it was the plan of Eric Bischoff.

This plan backfired though, as an estimated 600,000 homes switched from Nitro to RAW is WAR to see Foley win his first of three WWF Championships.

This was a pivotal point in the Monday Night Wars, as RAW enjoyed a 5.7 rating, whilst Nitro (which that same night had the infamous 'Fingerpoke of Doom'), settled for 5.0, never again beating RAW in the ratings.

By the end of 1999, Nitro struggled to hit a 3.0, and folded in 2001, being bought by the WWF for a steal, ending the Monday Night Wars once and for all.